Germany’s first offshore wind farm, Alpha Ventus, is set to be decommissioned using environmentally responsible methods, as the pioneering test field nears the end of its planned operational life.
Located approximately 45 kilometres off the island of Borkum in the German Bight, Alpha Ventus is operated by a consortium of energy companies EWE, RWE, and Vattenfall. The project, consisting of 12 wind turbines and an internal substation, was commissioned in 2010 as a pilot site for offshore wind development.
With its decommissioning planned in just over four years, project stakeholders are now preparing for a process that prioritises marine protection and the recycling of materials. A dismantling concept is currently being developed in close cooperation with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency.
“Alpha ventus will reach the end of its planned operating life in just over four years. That’s why we are faced with the challenge of examining how to proceed,” said Eric Richter, Managing Director of Alpha Ventus operator DOTI. “We looked at a wide variety of options – including, of course, repowering. However, due to the size and weight of today’s turbine models, the foundations would also have had to be replaced, which would have been tantamount to a new building.”
The site is not suitable for repowering due to its limited area and the scale of modern turbine technology, leading the consortium to focus instead on dismantling. “Now we are working together with our partners and the responsible authorities on an environmentally friendly dismantling concept,” Richter added.
The RAVE (Research at Alpha Ventus) initiative will accompany the process with a focus on how offshore wind farms can be economically and sustainably dismantled, contributing to the development of best practices for future projects.
“Offshore wind energy is now an established technology and an important pillar of energy supply in Germany – not least thanks to the Alpha Ventus test field,” said Bernhard Lange of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES). “But research continues to be a high priority.”
Alpha Ventus was the first offshore wind installation in German waters, and its decommissioning will be the first of its kind. “It is completely normal to plan such work at an early stage – also because the special ships and port capacities required for this have to be booked well in advance,” Richter noted.
The project marks a new chapter in the lifecycle of offshore wind energy in Germany, as the industry begins to address the long-term sustainability of its infrastructure.
